NCIS and The Twisted Life of Claire Bailey Tucker
by HalfwayThereNow
Summary: What happens when an eleven year old girl with issues that don't show on the outside, makes friends with our favorite NCIS agents? When they try to help, but she can't let them in? Actually better than it sounds. Trust me.
1. Chapter 1 The Arrival

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Disclaimer:

I do not own NCIS or these characters, 'cause if I did, I'd be filthy stinking rich and own this site. AND me and McG- wait! Never mind about that.

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Prologue

Tony sat at his desk, fiddling with his Navy blue tie (A/N No pun intended).

_Where _is _everyone? _He continued to play with the tie when Ziva and McGee walked out of the elevator.

They were deep in conversation about an expression that Ziva had messed up on.

"Probster! You seem happy today. There a reason?" Tony interrupted. He wiggled his eyebrows.

McGee stopped chatting with Ziva and walked over to his desk.

"No Tony." McGee replied.

"Oh ho ho! C'mon, Probie!"

"No, Tony!" Tony stood up and began to speak when Gibbs rounded the corner and smacked the back of his head.

"Oh, hi boss! We were just discus-"

"Save it, DiNozzo."

"Yes, boss."

Suddenly, they heard another voice. "Agent Gibbs!" Everyone turned to see a man standing just outside their area of the bullpen.

"Agent Wilds." Gibbs acknowledged the man.

"Can I talk to you in private?" Wilds asked.

"Step into my office." Gibbs answered. He led the way to the elevator. Once both men were inside, Gibbs pressed the Emergency Stop button. The elevator immediately came to a halt.

"Agent Gibbs, I've been assigned the task of watching my friend's daughter, BUT, the director needs me to go on a mission for a few weeks. And it's just my luck that the kid is staying with me the whole time I'm supposed to be gone. Can your team watch her? I mean, the girl could probably stay with Abby or Doctor Mallard while you're on missions……." Wilds trailed off.

Gibbs sighed. "You'll owe me big time for this, Wilds."

Wilds grinned. "I know, Agent Gibbs."

When the two men had left, the team realized there was a kid leaning on the wall. She was a girl, with brown shoulder length hair and piercing blue eyes. She had many freckles on her cheeks and nose, and there were some on her arms and legs. She wore a simple t-shirt and Bermuda shorts.

She grabbed her bag off the floor and strode over to the desks. She walked straight to the file cabinet in between Tony's and McGee's desk and slid down it, pulling her I-Pod touch and her DS Lite.

"Who're you?" Tony asked.

The girl pulled her green and white striped beanie closer to her forehead. She paused the game and the music and replied. "Bond. James Bond. No. I'm kidding. Claire Bailey Tucker." She grinned and everyone could tell she was like Tony.

"Well, why are you here?" McGee asked.

"Wilds, genius. And you're supposed to be the smart one! Geez, McGee." She finished, shaking her head, but continued to grin.

"And you know he is McGee, how?" Ziva asked.

Claire sighed again. "You think Agent Wilds was _not _gonna tell me 'bout Gibbs' infamous head slap, McGee, the Einstein, Ziva's Mossad experience, the scottish stories Ducky goes on about, Palmer, who ISN'T a gremlin, the bubbly, entergetic, crazy forensic scientist, Abby, and Tony's big ego?"

Everyone (but Tony), laughed at the last part. Tony stood up to object when Gibbs and Wilds rounded the corner, Gibbs smacking the back Tony's head. Gibbs quickly explained the situation, then Agent Wilds went to say goodbye to Claire.

"Bye, squirt." He said, ruffling her hair.

"Dude! I'm, like, almost as tall as you!" It was true. Alexander Wilds was a short man.

"Ok, maybe half a foot!"

"You lie!"

"No!"

"I'm 4' 10" , you're 5 feet tall. 2 inch diff!"

"Whatever……. Shrimp!"

"Ugh. Bye, Uncle Alex." _So that's how they know each other! _Tony thought.

"I'm _not _your uncle! How many times must I say it?" _Nevermind. _

"You know me. Put it in a video game, on TV, on the computer, or in a book. _Then, _and only then, will I begin to understand."

" Still, don't call me your uncle."

Claire frowned and pulled out a book, beginning to read. "Hey! No goodbye hug?"

"Maybe……… If I can call you uncle!"

"Geez, you're so lucky you're cute!" Wilds exclaimed, he then awaited for the hug. No one knew why his eyes were closed, or why he was on his knees, in a more stable postion. Claire shot into his arms, almost knocking him over. _So we have a mini Tony _and _Abby? _McGee thought.

"See ya, Uncle Alex!" she grinned and pulled away.

"Mmhmm, we'll see!" Alex stood up and walked away. Claire immeditley got back into her DS Lite.

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**Thx**** guys!!!! So………… would it be 2 much 2 ask if I asked for 2 reviews b4 I countinue? Well, I'm sure not, so………. I will not countinue unless I get 2 reviewws!!!!! Thx, bunches!!! :3 :3 ;3 ;3**


	2. Chapter 2 The Explanation

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**Sorry about this, I forgot to put it in earlier, though I'm sure you already know. Anyway, OC.**

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Claire sat playing her DS at Tony's desk and didn't notice when the agents came up beside her.

"How do you know that man?" Ziva asked Claire. No answer.

"Claire?" Tony questioned. Quiet.

"Claire!" McGee shouted.

"What?" She said, her head snapping up. She saw McGee, Ziva, and Tony staring at her. She blushed, "Sorry, zoned out there."

"It is fine. I was asking you how you know the agent."

"Oh…He's my dad's best friend."

"So, he's kinda like your uncle?" Tony questioned.

"I only call him uncle 'cause I can't call him dad. My dad works late a lot, so I don't see him much. I seem closer to Alex then him. I mean, I still love my dad, but Alex is there more." _Lies. _She thought.

Silence.

It was broken by Gibbs' phone ringing. "Special Agent Gibbs… Yes… Ok…Thank you. Goodbye," Gibbs hung up. "Grab your gear. Dead petty officer in Norfolk." Everyone scrambled to grab their stuff.

"Agent Gibbs!" Claire said.

"Oh. McGee, call Abby, tell her to pick Claire up."

"Yes, boss. Bye, Claire." McGee replied.

"Bye McGee, bye Ziva, bye Gibbs, bye Tony." There was a small chorus of goodbyes before the elevator doors slid closed.

_Alone._ She thought. Tears rimmed her eyelids, but she shook her head. _No. I can't cry again. I _won't _cry again. _Her eyes flickered to a picture of her and her parents that was on her I-Pod. The picture was taken when she was 8, before the abuse, the fights, the anger. Before her life became twisted, before she became miserable. Before her father would come home drunk, at 11:00, she'd be in bed, but awake. Before he came and fought with her mother, before he hit her mom, before he hit Claire herself. Before he almost killed her brother and sister. Before Alex became the dad she used to have. Before a protective mask was made. Before a wall was built. Before she couldn't let anyone in. Before her mother screamed and yelled and cried and begged for it to stop…Before she hated her dad.

_Ugh, I have to STOP! Abby's coming. She can't see me like this. _Claire wiped the last evidence of crying from her face, just as Abby came up in the elevator.

"How do you know that man?" Ziva asked Claire. No answer.

"Claire?" Tony questioned. Quiet.

"Claire!" McGee shouted.

"What?" She said, her head snapping up. She saw McGee, Ziva, and Tony staring at her. She blushed, "Sorry, zoned out there."

"It is fine. I was asking you how you know the agent."

"Oh…He's my dad's best friend."

"So, he's kinda like your uncle?" Tony questioned.

"I only call him uncle 'cause I can't call him dad. My dad works late a lot, so I don't see him much. I seem closer to Alex then him. I mean, I still love my dad, but Alex is there more." _Lies. _She thought.

Silence.

It was broken by Gibbs' phone ringing. "Special Agent Gibbs… Yes… Ok…Thank you. Goodbye," Gibbs hung up. "Grab your gear. Dead petty officer in Norfolk." Everyone scrambled to grab their stuff.

"Agent Gibbs!" Claire said.

"Oh. McGee, call Abby, tell her to pick Claire up."

"Yes, boss. Bye, Claire." McGee replied.

"Bye McGee, bye Ziva, bye Gibbs, bye Tony." There was a small chorus of goodbyes before the elevator doors slid closed.

_Alone._ She thought. Tears rimmed her eyelids, but she shook her head. _No. I can't cry again. I _won't _cry again. _Her eyes flickered to a picture of her and her parents that was on her I-Pod. The picture was taken when she was 8, before the abuse, the fights, the anger. Before her life became twisted, before she became miserable. Before her father would come home drunk, at 11:00, she'd be in bed, but awake. Before he came and fought with her mother, before he hit her mom, before he hit Claire herself. Before he almost killed her brother and sister. Before Alex became the dad she used to have. Before a protective mask was made. Before a wall was built. Before she couldn't let anyone in. Before her mother screamed and yelled and cried and begged for it to stop…Before she hated her dad.

_Ugh, I have to STOP! Abby's coming. She can't see me like this. _Claire wiped the last evidence of crying from her face, just as Abby came up in the elevator.

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**Hoped you liked it! 2 comments people!**


	3. Chapter 3 The Case

After Abby and Claire had met and Claire had explained the situation (not her home life) they went down to the lab. Claire gaped.

"Like it?" Abby inquired teasingly.

"Like it?? Love it!" She replied.

Abby walked back to her monitor, chuckling. "Now, you must meet Charlie." She said, pointing to the screen.

"Eh, my laptop is Alex. Maybe they should meet up!" Claire grinned wickedly. Abby mirrored her actions. They spent an hour in the lab, talking geek. _Wow, cool kid! _Abby thought. Soon, the others were back.

"Abby, we found some evidence and blood and tissue samples." Gibbs said, handing Abby a few bags with random pieces of things in them.

"Got any pictures?" Abby asked. Gibbs nodded grimly and Tony handed Abby some pictures. Abby's eyes became wide as she looked through them.

"This was one of the most horrible crime scenes ever." McGee added.

"Oh! Lemme see!" Claire exclaimed, she started to grab at the photos in Abby's hands.

"You might not want to..." Ziva began, but Claire had already snatched the pictures out of Abby's hands. They all waited for the look of horror and disgust that was sure to cross her face. They had been down to Ducky and even _he _was grossed out. They were surprised at what they saw instead. Claire just looked through the photos, smirking and even laughing a little. It was a quiet laugh, though. _Okay, I've seen much worse. This guy is amateur compared to dad. I mean, I wouldn't be surprised if it _was _him. He would kill the guy and try to get the hell out! Try to make it quick, obviously not doing as well as he could. _

"I have to say," Claire said, sighing and throwing the pictures on to the counter. "I've seen worse. This guy is amateur compared to-" She cut herself off, realizing she was saying what she was thinking out loud. The others stared questioningly at her. She quickly answered the unspoken question. "Uhhhhhh... my dad is a, uh…" She hated the stutters. "Um, he's a crime scene investigator?" It was much more of a question than a statement. No one believed her, but they all decided to let it go. They were bound to find out soon. They had no idea how right they were.

**Tony**Gibbs**Abby**Ziva**McGee**Claire**Ducky**Palmer**

The evidence led to Abby looking over some FBI files, she and McGee had to hack in there and they needed to also check the phone records. The phone records were easy, but the files, not so much. They were encrypted and McGee and Abby couldn't make head or tail of it. Gibbs, Claire, Ziva, and Tony came down later.

"What do you got, Abs?" Gibbs asked, while handing a '_Caf-Pow!_ to Claire and Abby. It had been 4 days since Claire came and they learned she loved _Caf-Pow!_ and was trained in the art of Kung Fu and could kill you with a bottle of water. _Ziva much? _Tony thought when they had learned this.

"The victim, Tom, was called by a man named Fredrick Tucker many times before he died. He's known to Tom as Fred."

"Wait a sec, isn't _your _last name Tucker, Claire?" Tony asked. Everyone turned to Claire, awaiting her answer. She turned white, tried to hide it, but failed.

"Um, no. Tha- I don't… no. No. I don't know him." She answered. She tried to smile, but faltered. Once again, everyone knew she was lying. Gibbs stared at the young girl. 'We'll talk later' was what it said. Claire looked a little scared, but grinned, this time not failing. "What? Don't believe me?" she asked.

Gibbs sighed. "And the FBI files?"

"Uh, we almost couldn't get past them, I mean, they're encrypted and really hard to get past… But we did." McGee added, noticing the look Gibbs was giving him. Claire zoned out, thinking of her father.

_Could he have done this?_

_**No. No, he couldn't.**_

_But, he has before._

_**So?**_

_So, that means he could. He's capable._

_**NO! Not dad.**_

_What? Still believe he loves you?_

**…**

_He doesn't. Never has, never will... He doesn't care._

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**So, are you liking it so far? 2 comments, guys. Please. Tanks. :3**


	4. Chapter 4 The Body

**A/N: kaykay, ppl. So, im skippin thru a few weeks here. SKIPNESS TIME!!!!!!  
(ive been told its officially a word ;3) skipness ****2 a**** few days aftr Alex comes  
bac. He's picking up Claire. P.S. any Qs? Send a message or review. ;3 Oh,  
by the way, Gibbs hasn't gotten around to talking to Claire yet.  
**  
The few weeks passed fast, and Claire became close to the whole team. She was  
a bit like each member, which allowed them to bond. Agent wilds came at the  
end of the last day, ready to pick up the eleven-year-old.

Claire was sitting at Gibbs' desk, trying to finish her book. The rest of  
the team were there as well (save for Gibbs), and they were all getting a bit  
obnoxious. The team just wouldn't shut up!

"Hey!" she hollered at them with an annoyed face. Tony and McGee quickly  
looked up at her, and Ziva merely gave them a silent smirk. "Would you guys  
be quiet? I gotta finish this book before school starts!" Smiling happily at  
the silence, she dove back into her book.

The elevator suddenly dinged, and Claire swiftly climbed beneath the desk,  
making sure her foot was visible.

"NCIS, federal agent," someone introduced in a quiet tone. Tony, Ziva,  
and McGee looked up to see Agent Wilds.

Claire snickered and emerged from underneath the desk. She perched herself on  
the edge, swinging her legs back and forth. "Let's make a deal. You know,  
hostage negotiation?" she asked with a raised eyebrow. Claire gave Agent  
Alex Wilds a mischievous smirk.

"Mmm-hmm. Fine. What's your proposal?"

Claire put her finger on her chin and thought about what she wanted. "What  
about…three new movies and a Wii game!"

"Someone's getting greedy, eh?" Wilds narrowed his eyes. "One movie,  
one game, and Dairy Queen on the way back," Alex reasoned to the girl.

"Coldstone," said Claire, shaking her head.

"Nice try," Wilds answered. "How about Baskin Robins?"

"Fine. But I want a banana split."

"Deal. Now give me the hostage, Claire," the man demanded, eyes narrowing  
slightly at Claire.

The girl shook her head. "Not so fast, old man." She cocked an eyebrow  
suspiciously, her face forming an expression looking far too untrusting for  
her age. Although her face looked malicious, anyone nearby could see her large  
eyes dancing with humor.

The agent raised an eyebrow to mock the pre-teen. "You want a confirmation?  
Fine. How?"

"Written statement." Claire nodded her head for emphasis. "And in  
blood, too," she joked, a grin breaking her mischievous façade.

Agent Wilds did not seem very amused. "Har har," he said sarcastically.  
"Pencil."

"Nuh uh. Pen."

Wilds nodded. "Deal." He pulled out a pen and paper from his backpack and  
wrote, **_I, Alexander Wilds, promise to get Claire Tucker one movie, one game,  
and one banana split. Signed, Alex Wilds_**, and finished it off with a flourish. Rolling his eyes, he handed the small scrap to Claire. Claire beamed at him before reaching across the desk and  
pulling the laptop from a drawer. "Hah!" he exclaimed, pointing a finger  
accusingly at Claire. "I knew it! You better be glad I didn't need that  
during my mission."

Claire snorted and rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Let's go, Pops." She  
looked at the confused expressions on the agents faces. "It's a thing we do,"  
she explained. The rest of the team nodded in realization. Claire always did  
that stuff, and sometimes even with them.

Ducky, Palmer, and Abby came up out of nowhere, ready to say goodbye. Gibbs  
came back, and even Jenny was there. They all said goodbye, with Abby's  
farewell was a bit more reluctant. She only let go when Claire promised she  
would see them soon.

Oh, they would see her soon, alright… But how they would see her, they had  
no idea…

***Skipness to a week later***  
Agent Alexander Wilds was not a jumpy man. He had, however, never been an  
accomplished liar or mask his feelings well. Therefore, he was dreading a  
confrontation with Gibbs' team. Alex Wilds stepped out of the elevator, his  
hands wrung together nervously. He hurried past the desks of Gibbs' team,  
hoping to God they wouldn't notice him. Unfortunately, they did.

"Alex!" Gibbs barked.

Wilds glanced up, and his heart skipped a beat. His face went ashen, but he  
forced his legs to stop shaking and his lips to tug upward into a smile. It  
turned out looking more like a grimace. "Y-yes, sir? Did you need something,  
Gibbs?"

"How is she?" prompted Gibbs with a raised eyebrow. They were all eager  
to know of the condition of the girl.

Alex felt his face pale even more. "She's, uh, fine. Perfectly fine.  
W-why do you need—Why do you want t-to know?"

Gibbs felt his gut twist at the agent's suspicious behavior. He opened his  
mouth to talk but was cut off by Ziva's concerned whisper of, "What's  
wrong, Alex?"

"Huh? Nothing! Nothing's wrong at all." Before the group could get  
another word in, Wilds turned tail and bolted out of the office.

Gibbs made move to follow him, but before he could, his phone rang. The other  
three agents were stopped in their tracks, waiting for their boss' orders.  
Sighing, Gibbs picked up the phone. Suddenly, his expression turned grim, and  
he hung up. "Wilds will have to wait. A marine in Portsmouth has just been killed."

***Skipness to crime scene***

"Ziva, bag and tag. Tony, sketch it. McGee, look around outside,  
alright?" Gibbs ordered curtly, and everyone got to work. Ten minutes later,  
McGee shouted he found a blood trail. Gibbs nodded. "Let's go. Both of  
you."

They all ran after McGee, who was already following the trail. They lagged  
behind, still a great distance behind him. Once they reached him, McGee  
walking over to a pile of…of what, exactly?

"This is where the blood tra—Jesus Christ," McGee muttered. The other  
three exchanged glances with each other before hurrying over to the young  
agent. They looked where McGee was staring and the lump obscured by the blue  
cloth.

"W-what is that?" Tony murmured, turning to McGee. Said agent pulled on  
his gloves and pulled at the cloth. As it fell back, it revealed a body.

Claire's body.

"Oh, my God," McGee fell a step back, his eyes wide. Gibbs stared at the  
heap, his eyebrows furrowed with anger. Tony couldn't bear to watch, and  
even Ziva looked positively horrified at the poor girl's condition.

Claire lay motionless, her chest barely moving in shallow and pained breaths.  
Her white sweatshirt was stained dark red and brown all over, and one of her  
legs was twisted in a sickening position. Various cuts littered her small face  
as well as large bruises.

But luckily, the girl was conscious.


	5. Chapter 5 The Family

**Hey, guys! I'm really hoping you all like these! ******** Like the story? Suspenseful enough? Dark and angsty enough? Well, it will be in the next few chapters! ;3 Oh, I decided to treat you. 2 chapters, 1 day! ;3 **

"He—He killed her," Claire rasped to them. Her breathing sounded shallow and pained.

McGee's eyebrows furrowed in concern. "Claire, who are you talking about?"

As a response to his question, Claire attempted to roll over, but failed. She gasped in pain, tears rolling down her cheeks. Whimpering, she managed to scoot over to another bundle of cloth. The others kneeled down, prepared to help. Claire pulled off the cloth to reveal the body of a small girl, who seemed to still be in her preschool school years.

"W-who is she?" Tony asked in an appalled whisper, eyes widening at the sight.

Claire let out an agonized wheeze. "It's M-Melanie," she answered. "She's four." Claire's tears began flowing even faster. "Noah—" She was cut off by violent coughs, spitting up large amounts of blood into her hand. A sure sign of internal bleeding. Ziva wondered in distress how serious the injury must have been to produce that much blood.

"Papa, he—my dad h-has him," Claire continued shakily as her tears and coughing fits stopped. "N-Noah's gonna die… Just like Momma and—just like her and Mel."

The other agents shared a glance. "Noah?" Gibbs queried softly.

"M-My brother." Claire took another pained gasp before producing a bloodstained photo from her jacket pocket. "That's Melanie," she told them, her finger placed near the head of a young strawberry-blonde youth. The finger moved to a petite woman with light blonde hair, hugging a small boy with the same shade. "T-That's Momma. A-and Noah's"—Claire lapsed into another coughing fit and a bit of blood leaked down her chin—"Noah's five…" The only person left in the picture was a middle-aged man with dirty blonde hair. "And that's _my father._" The team was surprised by the large amount hate and disdain laced underneath the girl's tone.

"Why is your father in the picture?" McGee asked. No answer came from the girl. "Claire? Claire!"

The photo slipped from her hand as she slowly fell unconscious.

Everything seemed to move in slow motion after that. Gibbs called an ambulance, Tony picked up Claire with as much care as possible, and McGee gathered the dead body and blankets for evidence.

Ziva stood rooted to the spot, staring at the place the young girl's corpse had once laid.

The ambulance came and took the eleven-year-old away, with McGee in tow. Tony and Gibbs left to go to the original crime scene. Ziva still hadn't moved.

"Ziva?" Tony called over his shoulder. "Ziva, you coming?"

The woman glanced at her partner, nodded. She reached down to grab the picture of the happy family, briskly walking away without so much as a second glance to the alley.

**Oh geez, I'm so sorry guys, it was too short for some of you I'm guessing, but this had to stand alone. I mean, isn't that a good cliffhanger? I couldn't resist! Now, my little green friend down there is hungry…… We all know what the green button monster will do if he doesn't get enough food! You don't? Well, he eats up all the stories instead! And then, poof! No more Claire Bailey Tucker!!!! You should really get to feeding him… so, clicky-clicky! ;3**


	6. Chapter 6 The Lab

**Hey, peeps! Whoa, the reviews were fantastical! Don't you just love that word? I do! ;3**

"Abby? Abbs, CALM DOWN!!!!! We need you to process this evidence. Everything from where Commander Tucker was and from where Claire and Melanie were." Gibbs engulfed the weeping Goth into a comforting hug.

Tony and Ziva watched from near by. Both were eager to get to the hospital, but knew they could help Claire by giving Abby evidence to work with. They were both also jealous of the black haired woman that was held tightly, leaning into the comforting embrace. Everyone knew Abby was the favorite of the silver haired ex-marine. Gibbs treated her probably the same way how he had treated Kelly. Tony and Ziva exchanged a glance.

"Um, boss, I know you want to comfort Abby, but Claire…" The tan Italian trailed off. Gibbs glared, but he knew his senior field agent was right. He carefully set the _Caf-Pow! _he had been holding on the counter, then pulled away from the forensic scientist.

"You gonna be alright, Abbs?" Gibbs asked.

"Can I go, Gibbs? Pleeeeaaaassssseeeee?" Abby stretched out the word to emphasize her question.

"No. Abby, after you get through all that," He pointed to a box "You can come. Not now. Now, answer _my _question. You Gonna be okay?" The young woman nodded, wiping her tear stained, mascara covered face. "Good. DiNozzo, Ziva, you're with me."

***NCIS***

McGee, Gibbs, Ziva, and DiNozzo sat in the waiting room. McGee was staring out the window, Tony's foot was tapping on the hard floor, Ziva sat, with no emotions showing, playing with her knife, and Gibbs, Gibbs was thinking, while drinking the damn horrible hospital coffee. Suddenly, a doctor came from the emergency doors.

"Ah, who's here for Miss Tucker?" He asked. Everyone stood up., but Gibbs glared and the younger agents quickly sat down, annoyed at having to wait. When Gibbs and the doctor were alone in a corner, the doctor finally began. "First, are you family?"

Gibbs quickly nodded. "Granddaughter."

"Ah yes, well, I'm Dr. Hansen. Um, your granddaughter has suffered many severe injuries…"

"Like?" Gibbs asked, his voice becoming stone cold. Dr. Hansen instantly became uncomfortable.

"Uh, well, her right Tibia, Fibula, and Patella are all broken." Seeing the confused expression on this older man's face, he elaborated. "Tibia is the shinbone, the Fibula is the calf bone, and the Patella is the kneecap. There is a large wound down her right arm and she has many cuts on her abdomen. She obviously has internal bleeding in the stomach area. Two of her ribs on the left side of the ribcage are broken, causing the bones to puncture her left lung. Pneumothorax is a collapsed lung that contains air in it. It can also be fatal, but don't worry, the EMTs were able to relieve the pressure on the lung, just in time, too…" He glanced at his chart. "Oh, yes. She will be in a coma for two to three days." Dr. Hansen looked up. "These injuries are very severe, Mr. Tucker. I need you to understand that. She is very lucky, I haven't ever seen anything so atrocious. She won't be out of the hospital soon, but when she is, she will still need to take it easy."

Gibbs ran his hand through his hair and rubbed the side of his face. How could he become so close to this kid in just 2 months? He cared for this young girl as much as he does for his team. He was very concerned. "Thanks." He turned towards his team.

"Wait, Agent Gibbs!" Gibbs spun around. "Uh, well, what I'm about to say is hard to hear, but…"

"But what?" Gibbs yelled.

"Claire, uh, she was… she was raped…" Gibbs was infuriated. Who could do this to such a small girl? He wanted to punch something. Gibbs turned around and slowly walked to his team. He quickly explained all he had heard to his field agents, watching as each face came upon an appalled expression. He frowned and returned to the doctor, asking if they could see the child. They could. He motioned for his squad to tag along. He basically ran into the small room. "Dr. Hansen said she could hear us." Gibbs stated.

"Should we do one on ones?" McGee asked. Gibbs nodded. "Who first?" Everyone looked at each other before Gibbs pulled out his phone to call some people.

***NCIS***

"GIBBS!!!!!" Gibbs glanced at the 11-year-old laying in the bed. He nodded to his team and mentally prepared himself for Abby's attack. He stepped into the hall and Abby instantly broke down into tears in his arms. "Is she all right?" Gibbs explained what he had already told the agents in the room.

"Abby, she can hear us but can't respond, we want to do one on ones, and we decided you first. But let's wait 'till Ducky, Palmer, and the Director get here." Abby nodded and hugged Gibbs tighter, before pulling away and turning around to see the Director and Ducky walk in.

"Where's Palmer?" Abby asked, anxious to see Claire.

"Mr. Palmer parked for us, ah, here he comes now!" Ducky tuned to face the smaller man.

"Sorry, it took so long, doctor."

"Oh, that's all right. Now, who was going to be first?"

Gibbs answered., "Abby."

***NCIS***

Abby sat in the uncomfortable chair in the tiny, colorless hospital room. She had wanted to see the girl soon, but not like this. Abby glanced at the window, before settling her eyes back on Claire.

"I'm so sorry this happened, and, and when you get out, you get a whole party! Or something… When you wake up, I'll be ready with a MASSIVE _Caf-Pow!._" Abby chuckled to herself before continuing, "I, I can't give you a hug because of your 'condition', but I'm giving you a super Abby air hug right now." Tears pricked her eyelids, threatening to spill over and once again ruin her gothic makeup. She said goodbye before rushing out of the room. Next was Ziva….

**Ahaha!!!!! Heehee, I totally just cliffed you!!! :3 Oh, guess what? My green pal down there is still not exactly satisfied…… Please help!!!! Or no more Claire for you!!!! **


	7. Chapter 7 The Talks

**Here ya gooooo! Having fun yet? I hope so! So anyway, questions? Suggestions? Requests for oneshots…..? Anything?**

"This is hard for me, you know." Ziva sighed and stared at the motionless girl with forlorn eyes. "Becoming your…friend was like shooting a fish in a pond." As she gripped Claire's cold hand, Ziva swore with all her heart that she would find the man responsible and kill him. She didn't know what she would do if Claire—no. No. It wouldn't do either of them any good if she thought like that.

Ziva shook her head and sighed once more. "I am truly sorry. That man—that monster," she corrected herself, "will pay for what he's done. Believe me." Ziva pinched her eyes shut, willing the tears not to fall. But when she opened them, they spilled from the lids anyways. The woman wiped her eyes delicately, thanking God for her waterproof mascara. Once Ziva was sure her eyes were dry, she stepped out of the room; if she stayed in there any longer, if she said anything else to Claire—Ziva wouldn't be able to stop her tears.

Tony got up from his seat and walked to Ziva. "Were you crying?" he asked in a tone close to incredulous. The people around them glanced up at the duo.

"…No."

"_Zee-Vah! _Don't lie! Your eyes are red!"

"Tony." Ziva gave him a watery, yet intimidating, glare.

"Sorry." Tony turned to the others. "Who's next?"

"I'll go, Anthony," Ducky volunteered, standing up, joints cracking. When the others nodded, Ducky slipped into the suffocating hospital room. "Well, love. This reminds me of a time in Scotland…" He droned on for nearly half an hour, not realizing the time. When he finished, Ducky heaved a great sigh but made no move to leave.

He'd never liked hospitals; it sucked the life out of everything. Ducky stood beside the bed where the broken girl lay, and his opinion of the hospital was immediately justified. Every time he'd seen her, she was always so full of life. Except her eyes. They were always much too old for her age.

But now—now the poor dear was lifeless. Her form was limp, and she looked so helpless with all of her bandages and IV's in her arms. Laying a large hand on Claire's small arm, he observed the girl. She had broken bones, various cuts, and nasty bruises. Ducky's free hand curled into a tight fist. She also had a pneumothorax and evidence of rape.

That bastard.

He would pay, the Scottish man swore. He would pay for making the poor girl broken, hurt, and afraid. It was because of him that Claire thought she was alone in the world.

Oh, yes. That man would die a slow, painful death.

Ducky frowned at the sudden pang of anger at his heart. "Well, my dear," he murmured, wiping a stray hair from Claire's face, "I must be off. The others are anxious to talk to you. Goodbye."

With that, the tall man strode out the door, leaving the girl for her next visitor.

***NCIS***

_Click, clack. Clickity click._

Jenny hurried into Claire's room, heels clicking loudly against the linoleum floor. She didn't have much to say, but she wanted to make sure she said it. Sniffling, she placed her hand on Claire's cheek, running her thumb across it gently.

"Claire, I love you very much, just like I do Tony, McGee, and Ziva. I know I'm not around much, but I love you like my child. Gibbs and his team can take as much time as they need to defeat that horrible man," she promised, wiping her eyes. "You've got the best team on this case. And as a director, I know this is true."

Jenny took a shuddering breath. "It's been hard on all of us, sweetie, knowing what that man did to you. We're all willing to give up time and money for you, like we would for any of the team. For Ducky, McGee, and even Tony!" She gave a slightly hysterical chuckle as tears threatened to fall. "Hear that, hun? You're one of us now.

"That's really all I had to say," murmured Jenny. "But I am so, so sorry for this. It never should've happened. Now, I know Jimmy's wanted to talk to you, so I'll let him have his turn. I'll be here all day. Bye, Claire." Jenny smiled softly and bent down to press a swift kiss to the girl's forehead before walking away.

_Click, clack. Clickity click._

***NCIS***

"We really did become friends, didn't we?" Jimmy grinned softly as he stared at the unconscious girl. "I mean, it's usually hard for me to make any acquaintances, let alone friends. But over the past two months, I've realized it can be easy! You just gotta talk to people and say the right things." He chuckled. It was true, though. Most people thought he was scary or weird, but this kid pushed past his appearance, just like the rest of his team. His mind lingered on this subject for a few seconds. His expression sobered when his eyes landed on the face of the eleven-year-old.

"I'm so sorry, kid. For everything." Jimmy gripped the armrest tightly. "I feel like we could've prevented it! We should've been able to keep you safe! We should have seen some sign or—or anything!" Jimmy groaned softly, rubbing his forehead to soothe his headache. "I-I guess I should just go now. But I _will _be here when you're up. And I'll probably visit again before that too…"

Sighing, Jimmy rubbed his forehead again before disappearing out the door.

***NCIS***

"Oh, Jesus… Wow, you really look like hell, kid," Tony said as he entered Claire's room. Sitting down in the warm seat at the bedside, Tony fidgeted with his hands for a few moments before the silence became overwhelming. "You know I'm not good with this mushy stuff, but you're pretty cool, Claire. And I mean it. And when we catch that—that bastard, I swear I'll do everything to take him _down._" Tony's eyes flashed with anger and determination before he sighed.

Calming down, he resumed twiddling his thumbs. "The last few weeks have been awesome, y'know? We've all grown on you. Heh, we kind of have a little, dysfunctional family at NCIS. Gibbs is like the overprotective and stern father, and the director's the caring and understanding mother." Tony gave a small chuckle. "Couldn't you so see them as a couple?" He waited a few seconds before continuing. "Probilicous is the kid brother, and Ziva's the weird, freaky sister. Ducky's like our grandpa, and Abby's Daddy's favorite. Palmer's… the strange cousin." Tony smirked. "And of course I'm the gorgeous older brother."

Rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly, Tony heaved a sigh. "But you, kid, you're like the baby of the family. Like, the smallest, long-lost sister or something." He shrugged. "There isn't much left to say… I'm pretty sure the rest of the people have already said what I want to, so I'll just go now… Oh, and McGee's coming in next so prepare for waterworks," Tony said as a last effort as a joke. He got up from his chair and made a silent escape.

***NCIS***

McGee crept into the room and took the seat nearest the bed. He fidgeted uncomfortably in the chair, no doubt warm by the multitude of butts who had last sat there. "I'm really glad I found that trail today—or maybe it was yesterday?" he added quietly to himself. "I dunno. I can never keep track of time during tragedies. Yeah, this is a tragedy, kid. Just like it would be if anyone else close to me was in your position. You're the first person I saved, you know?" He thought back to all the others he'd let down while they were under his watch. There were so many. Hell, even Abby could've been killed!

He shook his head, clearing his mind of all thoughts. Now wasn't the time.

"I know Gibbs, Ziva, and Tony will take your dad down. I just really hope I can be useful, because, you know, I'm not like them. I wasn't a marine or a Mossad agent or even a damn cop! I was just a nerd who went to MIT. But right now, I doubt it'll make a difference. All I want to do is beat the shit out of your father for doing this to you. It's my top priority, kid, to take that asshole down hard. It's not just me, either. All of us: Gibbs, Tony, Ziva, Ducky, Abby, and shit, even the Director and Palmer want to put your dad behind bars." McGee's voice softened a bit. "And we'll do it too. All for you.

"After eight tonight, you're gonna be in a drug-induced coma until tomorrow. Or maybe Wednesday? Well, you'll be in one of those for a few days," he said, giving up on trying remembering the date. "Either way, we'll all be here when you open your eyes. _All _of us." Leaning back in his chair, McGee grinned at the girl. "This is a warning, you know. You better not forget it, 'cause if you wake up and start screaming, I might just hafta Gibbs-slap you.

"But hey, I'm gonna go now, since the boss wants to see you." McGee rolled his eyes. "You know how he is when he's kept waiting. See ya later, Claire." McGee stood up and gave one last glance to the unconscious girl before stepping out the door.

He congratulated himself on controlling his emotions. Now maybe Tony would shut up.

***NCIS***

Gibbs sat in the chair McGee had previously been in and tried to keep the hospital coffee in his stomach. He took a good look at the young girl in the stiff hospital bed. Claire looked so damn _small _in the mass of blankets and pillows. How was it, Gibbs thought ruefully, that this child could look so young and old at the same time? How the hell could she be so wise but yet still have the child naivety after all she'd been through?

The answer was, of course, that bastard of a father.

Claire knew way too much for her age and had been through unspeakable things. And yet, her cherubic face still had the innocence of a small child.

"I know you don't work for me, but you don't have my permission to die, so don't even think about it," Gibbs murmured to her in a soft, yet firm tone.

_Wasn't planning on it, sir! _he could almost hear her say. Gibbs could almost imagine Claire giving him a mock salute and a quirky smile.

_Don't call me sir, _Gibbs would reply.

_Fine… ma'am. _

He smiled gently as her giggle echoed through his mind. "Don't be a smartass," Gibbs joked aloud. His icy blue eyes bore holes into Claire's closed lids. "And don't die. That's an order."

_I know, I know. _

There was a long pause before Gibbs spoke again, his determined voice cutting through the air like a knife. "When I catch this SOB, so help me God, he's gonna pay. He'll get punished—I can promise you that—for all he's done to you. We'll bring him down so hard he won't be able to stand again."

**So, was it good? Bad? Too long (Shouldn't be a problem ;3)?? Too short??? Not enough of Tony or Palmer or Ziva???? THAT'S WHAT MY LITTLE GREEN FRIEND IS FOR!!! ;3 Now, I haven't properly introduced him to you. Readers, meet Jason the green button. Jason the green button, meet the readers. Jason: HI!!!! (Feed Jason and tell him what you think of this chapter and please say something back to him!)**


	8. Chapter 8 The Crashing

**Hiya! Liking the story so far? Please, tell your friends, 'cause I don't think this story is doing as well as Father Knows Best, a McGee-centric fic, which is my newest story. Thanks bunches! ; 3**

After McGee, Gibbs, Ziva, Tony, Ducky, Abby, Palmer, and Jenny had left the hospital, a man with dirty blonde hair and a baseball cap walked into the ward. "Hello, nurse. Which room is Claire Bailey Tucker in?" he asked in a quiet, polite tone. The nurse couldn't see his face as the hat was hiding it from view. Slight suspicions tugged slightly at her mind, but she ignored it and gave him the directions. The man nodded and followed her instructions. Upon reaching the empty room, he took off his hat, and spiteful brown eyes glared at the unconscious girl.

"Hello, my sweet," he purred, placing a hand on her brunette head of hair. "I was wondering what happened to you. Once I got wind of your location, I rushed off to see you. Aren't I the sweetest father?" He let out a maniacal laugh. "But, you know, it was my entire fault you were here in the first place." With a yank of her hair, he leaned in to place a kiss to her forehead. It was neither an abusive kiss nor a tender one. It was merely a promise of more to come. He smiled in satisfaction at Claire's whimper. "Next time, I will be responsible for both putting you in the hospital, and your grave, next to your bitch of a mother."

And with that, he shoved his hat on and stalked out, a smirk on his malicious face.

----NCIS----

The nurse from the front desk went to check on Claire. Her gut had refused to settle since the odd man came up to her. And when he left, the smirk on his face nearly made her want to call the police.

She bustled to Claire's room and saw the young girl twisting and turning as though she were in pain. Claire let out a loud moan, but Mary couldn't tell whether it was from pain or from something else. Mary hesitated, unsure of what to do.

"No, no!" Claire cried hoarsely, her voice barely above a whisper. "He's coming! Please don't let him get me!" The fear in her voice made Mary's stomach churn, and she took a step forward. She slowly approached the writhing girl, hand extended to comfort Claire. But when Claire whimpered and let out a flinch as though someone had hit her, Mary hurriedly drew back her hand.

"Father!" Claire whimpered. "Stop it!"

Mary's muddy brown eyes widened. She'd heard stories that the girl's father was the one who'd put her in the hospital, and the people who were constantly with her were all special agents. How a little girl like her could get involved with the CIA or whatever was beyond Mary's comprehension. But for her father to beat her half to death and to _rape _her made Mary's blood boil. She couldn't possibly fathom the workings of a monster like him.

Claire shrieked.

Even after she was brought out of the drug-induced coma, the girl had never reacted like this before, Mary mused frantically. It was only until today… right after that man came to visit her. Perhaps he was her father! But she had no proof.

At the sound of a pitiful whimper, Mary turned to the girl. "Claire? Um, are you alright, sweetie?" _She's asleep, you idiot! She can't hear you! _Mary thought. Claire's groans got louder, and soon she was shrieking. Claire was screaming, unable to stay still. Loud beeping from the machines surrounding to the bed added to the erratic scene. Blaring sounds came from everywhere, and Mary panicked. She hurriedly pressed the emergency button, and soon, a flurry of doctors and nurses streamed in.

Claire kept on screaming in the throng of people. _Just what is going on?! _the woman thought frantically. Panicking, Mary backed up against the door and could feel her knees buckling. The last thing she heard before she went under was a nurse screaming, "She's crashing!"

----NCIS----

McGee sat up in his bed and groped around for his phone. His hand had managed to push over his alarm clock and his lamp before he remembered his iPhone was in his jacket pocket, hanging at the foot of the bed. Grunting, he searched around for the jacket pocket and pulled out his phone. McGee had reached a bit too far, so when he answered his phone, he fell flat on his face on the bed. He shifted his head slightly but made no move to get up.

Groaning, he murmured a sleepy, "Hello?"

"_McGee!" _came the gruff voice of his boss. Ugh. How Gibbs sounded so awake at—McGee glanced at his clock on the floor—three in the morning was unfathomable to him.

"Hey, Boss."

"_We need you at LaMount."_

"The hospital?"

McGee, even in his exhausted state, could practically hear Gibbs rolling his eyes. "No, the amusement park," he scoffed. "Yes, the hospital, McGee!"

"Why, Boss?"

"Just get down here!" Gibbs ordered brusquely. "I'll fill you in later."

McGee heaved a sigh and stifled a groan. "Yes, Boss."

**Okay, I know it was short, but this seemed like a good place to cut off…. Keeps you reading! Now I did introduce you to Jason right? Cool, but just in case this is the first afterword you read of this story, Jason is my little green button friend down there and he's really hungry. Do ya know what he eats? REVIEWS!!!!!!!! I'll leave it at that.**


	9. Chapter 9 The Story

**NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! *dodges tomatoes* I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!!!!! My beta was taking a while (I'm not mad at you, Overuse), so I decided to post the un-beta'ed versions and when she's done, the beta'ed versions shall be up instead of these!!!!! =D **

When McGee got to the hospital half an hour later, everyone else was already there.

"Nice to see you join us, Probie." Tony halfheartedly joked.

McGee ignored him. "So what's the dilemma, boss?"

"Claire freaked out last night, almost died... They have her in Intensive Care, but they said they could wake her up soon, everyone voted to wait for you, so let's go." Gibbs stood from his spot near the window, the others following suit. They all crammed into the tiny hospital room, Dr. Hansen was there, all ready to wake up the young girl. Gibbs nodded at the doctor, who began reducing the sedatives.

About five minutes later, Claire's eyelids began to flutter. Her crystal blue eyes widened at the light, then closed again quickly. "Ow, ow, ow, ow…" She muttered. "Crap that hurts."

Everyone smiled. Claire's eyes fully opened and she blinked owlishly, and then grinned. "Hey, McGee, I didn't freak out!" McGee laughed; no one else knew what they were talking about, which made it even funnier. "Oh, Abby, do you have it?"

"Of course, Claire, did you think I would forget?" Abby grinned and pulled a gigantic _Caf-Pow! _from under her chair.

"Yes! Cool! Thanks, Abs, I've been craving this for a while now…" Claire took a gulp and sighed. "Good stuff. Hey, Ziva, it's fish in a barrel, not pond." She laughed and Ziva and the others looked confused

"Are you sure? Why would you shoot fish in a barrel? Why would they even be in the barrel?

"Yes, I'm sure and idioms are so stupid sometimes, I don't get it either…" Claire giggled.

"Uh, sorry to ruin the mood, but, what exactly happened before we found you?" Tony asked. Ziva elbowed him in the ribs. Gibbs glared. McGee looked to his feet. Ducky and Jenny frowned. Palmer turned towards the window. Claire paled.

"You don't have to answer that, Claire." Gibbs stated.

"No, no, it's okay; you guys really need to know." Claire's eyes glazed over.

"It started out as any regular day; Momma was downstairs, cooking breakfast. Father, that's what he made me call him, came downstairs. He usually isn't drunk in the morning, but that day was different. Father was very drunk, I could smell the liquor in his breath." Claire's nose scrunched up as if she could smell the horrible stench right then.

"He came crashing down the stairs, knocking down all the pictures on the wall. Noah, Melanie, and I were at the table, eating chocolate chip pancakes, their favorite." A faint smile played on her lips. "Father came into the kitchen and started screeching at Momma. I knew what was going to happen, I'm sure the little ones knew, too, but it was always my job to protect them. I took them to the basement, told them to not come out until I told them to, but I didn't stay, my mom needed me. When I got back to the kitchen, Father had already begun the beating. He punched Momma and kicked her and slapped her. I tried to stop him, I screamed and tried to pull him off, I suppose it was stupid of me to think I could ever get him away, but it was instinct." The others were scared for her from hearing just this, but they didn't even know half of the revolting, terrible world the girl had to live since she was eight.

"Father wouldn't stop, so I came up and slapped him, apparently I can slap hard 'cause he whirled around and pushed me to the floor, then turned again and stabbed my mom in the heart. She died instantly. Blood splattered all over the walls and floor and table, it gushed onto the tiles and surrounded my body. I could smell it, it smelled like copper, I couldn't breathe. My father pulled me away from the floor, it felt like I had been down there for so long… Father threw me onto the table and grabbed the carving knife that he used to stab Momma and came at me." Everyone gasped.

"He came towards me and kept cutting my stomach, my blood mixing with Momma's on the floor and on the knife. He just kept cutting… after a few minutes, he threw the knife on the ground and dragged me into the living room and he shoved me onto the couch. He undid his pants and-and-" A strangled sobbing sound came from Claire. Everyone knew what happened next. Abby made a move to comfort her, but Gibbs shook his head. One, Abby was crying and it might make everything worse. And two, Gibbs needed to hear the rest, just to know how hard to beat Fredrick Tucker. Everyone else would agree to the last one.

"Ack, okay calm down, calm down. Deep breath, in, out, in, out." Claire muttered to herself. She opened her eyes and saw everyone staring at her. "I'm sorry. Um, I guess I'll just continue…"

"Don't if you're not ready." Jenny said.

"No, I'm fine. I'm okay…" She took another deep breath and looked at the skeptical faces in front of her. "Really, I am. Um, back to the story… After Father..... raped me, there came a crash from the basement. Father stared at me angrily, then ran to the basement and found Noah and Melanie. Father went downstairs and dragged them up into the living room. He pulled me into a sitting position and threw Noah next to me. Father shoved Melanie into the glass coffee table, letting the shattered glass cut her, and stabbed her leg. Mel's blood now covered the knife, too. So. Much. Blood." Claire shuddered.

"After that, Father looked at me, he knew I had taken the kids down there and he was _mad_. He shoved me onto the floor and stepped on my leg a few times. Each time he did, I heard this sickening crunch. He also crushed the left side of my stomach under his foot. Then, Father grabbed Noah and fled the house. I knew I couldn't stay in the house. The smell of the copper and the site of the blood were too much for me, so I rolled over and grabbed Melanie, who was still alive. I pulled her onto my back and crawled out the house and down the road 'till I got to the buildings. I went to an alley and there were blankets there, so I wrapped Melanie in one and myself in one and lied down. The blood trail you saw was from me. I just waited, waited for someone to come. Luckily, you guys did…" Claire's voice was strained. Her huge expressive blue eyes showed fear and sadness.

"Was the abuse a regular thing?" Palmer asked. Claire just nodded, keeping her eyes trained on a small stain on the hospital blanket.

"When did it start, my dear?" Ducky inquired.

"When I was eight. After Father came home from Iraq."

"Why was your dad in that picture you showed us, then? It looked recent." This time Ziva spoke.

"He lied. The damn bastard lied. He went away for a while, a few months. He said he went to an institute. Rehab. We all believed him and celebrated. We took the picture. The next night, he got drunk and abused us. And if your next question is why we didn't call the cops, it's because we were all too afraid."

"That case we had the first week you were here, was your dad a part of that?" McGee finally spoke up.

"Probably, I know you guys noticed how weird I was acting when I looked at the pictures and stuff. My father kills people, I think he found some joy in killing people after he came back from Iraq. What you saw at that crime scene, that was amateur compared to what gruesome images Father can create. I'm sure he killed that Petty Officer, I can see Father going in there and killing the guy. He was obviously rushing for some reason and didn't have enough time to do as well as he could."

Suddenly, Nurse Mary popped her head in the door. After a doubtful glance at Claire, she spoke. "Uh, Agent Gibbs, can I talk to you out here? Everyone can come if they want."

Gibbs stood and nodded at Mary. He followed her out into the corridor, the others right behind him. Tony, being the last one to come out, closed the door until there was just a small crack left. This crack, however, was just big enough for Claire to hear what everyone was saying, but Tony didn't know that.

"Okay, this has been bugging me all day and since you were all here, I thought you guys should know this. At eleven o'clock last night, a man wearing a large baseball cap that covered his face came up to the front desk, I was the only one up there, so he came to me and asked where Claire's room was. I told him where to go and about five minutes later, he came out with this scary smirk on his face. I really wanted to go check on Claire and I had to go see her anyway, too make sure she was still healthy. When I got here, she was murmuring something about not letting 'him' come. She started moaning, and then screaming… I just thought you should know-"Mary was cut off by a strangled yell and then a thump, each coming from inside Claire's room. The team exchanged glances and rushed into the room, Mary trailing behind.

In the room, Claire was sitting on the floor, knees against her chest, arms hugging her knees to her stomach, rocking back and forth. "He's coming, he's coming, he's coming." Claire kept repeating the words over and over.

"Uh, Claire," McGee stepped forward hesitantly. "You okay?"

**

* * *

****Hey, friends! I didn't want to overload Overuse of Emoticons, so I decided to end it there. I think it's lengthy enough, I mean, its three pages long on my Microsoft Word…. Oh, Jason is still really hungry, are you gonna leave the poor green button monster hungry? I thought not. ;3 Thanks, guys!**

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	10. Author's Note

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

Ok, guys. I'm about to deliver pretty sad news… I'm putting this and Father Knows Best on hiatus until further notice… Basically, until I finish another story that isn't on hiatus. Then I'll choose one of the two to re-start. They'll probably be a poll on my profile so you can choose. I'm sooooo sorry! It's just, I realized I can't write 6 stories at once, so I'll try 4. If not 4, then 3. And so on. And anyway, I have 4 other stories you can read:

Static Shock – Animal Crossing City Folk

Holidays – NCIS

Shut Down – NCIS

The Healer – Camp Rock

Once again, I'm sorry!


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